Should I give Lepto?

[Emmasmom]

My vet suggested the same as Melissa. If I were to be out hiking or lived in the country, then it was recommended that I get it for the dogs. Being that they are mainly in the yard and sometimes out on the sidewalks, he didn't think it was necessary. Like Melissa's vet, he doesn't push unwanted chemicals. In fact, he is very cautious.

[Tagg]

Lepto is quite a nasty thing to have your dog contract. If they do it is very expensive to treat and many times the dog has kidney failure in the end. If the dog does survive, and quick diagnosis and treatment are the dogs that survive, you have to have testing done for the next minimum of 3 months and the dog has to test clear of shedding the virus.
Wiccan, a westie I had owned and placed with awesome clients, lived in North London, On. She never went in the bush. She came in one evening and threw up Maple keys. She wasn't normally a dog that would eat things so the owners were surprised but not too concerned. However, she threw up more a little later and started to shiver. They rushed her to Vet Emerg were she was, fortuanately, treated immediately for Lepto while the did the testing and waited for culture results. She was very ill so was transferred to the University of Guelph small animal department. There she stayed for 2 weeks in intensive care. In the meantime, the Jack Russell that had been at the Emerg clinic died of it. Once she was released they had to keep her in the yard and do a bleach treatment every place she peed for 4 months, as lepto is a zoonotic disease and can infect the water table, as well as being really cautious handling her themselves. They think the raccoons that travel in the area urinated and defecated on the roof which washed down with the maple keys and that is how she was infected. I don't know what the pricetag of all this was but they did say that she was the price of a very expensive TV. The interesting aside to this story is that she was never vaccinated for Lepto but when the culture confirmed it, it wasn't one of the 4 that the vaccine is for.
Lepto is a menace especially when the water table is high due to melt off and rain. A old employer of mine had a Shih Tzu that only went on one walk a week, around the block in the middle of a large city. It also was infected and cost the earth to treat. It died less than a year later of kidney failure. It was about 6 years old.
I still don't routinely vaccinate my dogs as I have also seen bad reactions to the vaccine. I do give them the limited protection provided in the vaccine if we have a particularily wet Spring. It's something you have to decide for yourself if you are willing to take the chance.

[Diana]

My breeder wrote "NO LEPTO" on Buffy's initial vet forms and strongly recommended we never get the vaccine. One of Buffy's relatives had a bad reaction to the vaccine and almost died from shock.

It is a pain because around here you need lepto to go to the dog beach and dog park, and they don't give waivers. Which I think is stupid. But anyway, we haven't gotten the vaccine. Even though it is offered every year or more often.

I think here it is mostly a public health thing. I guess lepto is transmitted via animal urine to humans, and the dog beach is near the water supply. Although it's mainly squirrels etc. that are a problem, with dogs they can give them the vaccine and prevent it.

I think it sounds like your vet is trying to scare you unnecessarily. Unless you live in the north woods it doesn't seem like a huge risk. But hey, I am no expert, these are just the choices we have made.

[Tagg]

An interesting aside in the saga of Wiccan and Lepto is that the caretakers of our little girl felt really guilty that they hadn't given the vaccine. They discussed it with the staff vet at U of G and she said that her own shepherd had a bad reaction and only survived because she was at the clinic with her when it happened. Then they found out that the strain she had wasn't covered by the vaccine. They did have to vaccinate the other two dogs they lived with though because the virus continues to shed after treatment for varying amounts of time. In Ontario, raccoons are the number 1 transmitter of Lepto.

[Lahree]

I watched my first Sheltie, Honey, almost die from the vaccine! I had to turn around on the highway and rush her back to the vet and almost didn't make it back in time! Now that was terrifying and it NEVER got out of my mind even though it happened in 1980.

The breeder I got Ellie from recoomended not getting it. My vet here in Texas, (whom I trust) said he didn't think it was necessary and that if any dog is likely to have reaction to a shot, Lepto is the one they will react to.

So, that's what I go by--past experience and the advice of a 20 year plus Sheltie breeder and my vet. However, my disclaimer is: that is for my dog, in my state, in my living situation. I have no idea how safe the vaccine is now, I just know how bad it used to be. ::shudder::

[Silaria]

My breeder told us "no lepto" when we got Edan. His vet records actually state "Not Recommended" in the column beside Lepto for his shot records. Much of the advice you've received on this is from longtime Sheltie breeders, owners and even one of our veterinarian members (who also happens to breed Shelties) and it is good, solid advice.

Honestly, if you are that uncertain, and since this is a new vet, I'd recommend seeing yet another vet and getting a 2nd opinion.